years, many international classical guitar competitions were established. The overall level of the competitions was raised by increasing prizes value up to $30,000 in the US, $22,000 in Europe, and $10,000 in Asia. Finals with the orchestra became more common. Introduction of online streaming of the competition rounds and YouTube applications greatly improved neutrality and public reception of the judgment. Many classical guitar competitions now take place during guitar festivals, and therefore the competition event can be attended by the general public, as an audience. Youth international competitions became more popular, attracting children and amateurs by the lower comp level and affordable prizes. Competitors In the international classical guitar competitions, the typical age of the competitors is from 18 to 35. Some competitions don't have age restrictions. The youth competitions are usually up to 25 years old. As a result of an increased number of competitions, some competitors have won unusual (more than 15) number of 1st Prizes in the professional (adult) competitions: 19 - Marcin Dylla, 19 - Goran Krivokapić, 50 - Marko Topchii. List of international competitions for classical guitar US and Americas Europe Asia, Australia, and Oceania Youth and Discontinued Discontinued (inactive) Youth (junior) competitions Thoughts on competitions Denis Azabagić has written: "Competitions give you a very valuable experience. Do they guide in your artistic development? I do not know if it benefits the guitarist in that area, but I think it does benefit the student because it helps him to set goals under pressure (having a deadline). This creates a great deal of stress, which you will have to learn how to deal with. To perform live in front of a jury is something that requires some training. Finally, if you are successful at winning competitions, this will help you to promote your name in the guitar circle, you will start to be noticed. I think winning competitions helps you build a name but does not help much to develop your artistry." In this interview recorded in early 2002, Azabagic stresses that while competitions were very good to him, competitions can also be devastating to worthy musicians who never seem to win. Modern criticism of guitar competitions is actually quite common. Some criticisms are that they are often judged by unqualified judges, that reward people for being technically proficient without regard to musicality. But concerning the judging of musicality, this is in itself controversial, as the